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I really like the idea of getting the children outside to the same places throughout the year and noticing the changes in plant life through the seasons
<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>I used tools like the Seek app, the Wildflowers of Ireland website, and the National Biodiversity Data Centre’s identification sheets to identify native local species, including a Robin, a Buff-tailed Bumblebee, and a Ribwort Plantain. I recorded these sightings directly through Ireland’s Citizen Science Portal to help track local wildlife. To bring citizen science into the classroom, I’d organize a “Wildflower Walk Challenge” where pupils place temporary markers by different plants, describe their features, and use identification keys to learn their names. We’d also conduct Flower-Insect Timed (FIT) counts in the school ground to monitor local pollinators </span>
I like the idea of using Google Maps as it is something the children will no doubt use themselves in the future and grounds their learning in something real and relatable
I would love to use the ESA’s ‘Climate from Space’ app with my class and have them zoom right into Offaly so they can see their own backyard from orbit. They’ll love checking out satellite heatmaps, soil moisture levels, and green biomass around the Shannon and local boglands, which instantly kicks off a great chat about geography, habitats, and how local land is actually used. From there, you can easily tie in History by comparing modern satellite views with old maps of Birr or some Maths by having them graph seasonal temperature changes from the data, and Visual Arts by letting them paint or build 3D models of the local landscape based on what they spotted from space.
Hi Elaine, I love the idea of bringing the children to Birr castle to look at a real life telescope and showing them a real life example. It’s a great way to ground their learning in their local community and foster an appreciation for what a marvel of engineering the telescope is.
If I was teaching a lesson on mirrors I would begin by asking
“Does light travel in straight lines, and can we bounce it?”Then, working scientifically in groups, pupils test flat mirrors. Using a torch covered by card with a thin slit, they shine a light beam at a mirror positioned on paper. They trace the incoming ray and the reflected ray to observe that the angles match. We would use this information to try and build a simple periscope and discuss how this is important for navigation such as in submarines.
